The Ice Wizard was released in the March update in Spell Valley, also being one of the first Legendaries into the game(correct me if I'm wrong; I THINK it was the first).

23/3/16: Damage increased by 5%

3/5/16: Range decreased to 5.5 from 6

24/8/16: His HP was decreased by 5%. This was one of the most significant nerfs to the Payfecta deck, which used IW, Miner, and Princess. In this update, all 3 got nerfed.

The Ice Wizard has always been a popular card, but recently, in this current meta, he's fallen pretty hard due to the rising popularity of the Ice Golem and the buff to Wizard. So that's why I'm here; to make a guide that makes IW relevant again.

He's a 3 elixir unit that has 665 HP at level 1, 63 damage, and a hit speed of 1.5/sec. Like his brother, the Wizard, he targets both air and ground and moves via ground. What makes him-or made him-unique, from other cards was his ability to slow as a troop. However, Ice Golem has pretty much replaced the Ice Wiz in terms of that.

TL;DR, a medium-ranged hitpoint troop that slows objects

How to use it defensively

The Ice Wizard shines on defense. Because he has crappy damage, he makes up for it with a slow effect. Combined with Zap, he can take out a small unit push for a positive elixir trade. He also can one shot skeletons provided that the skeletons are only 7 levels higher than him. Note that his purpose is NOT to kill though; it's to stall an attack so you can place down better units. If Ice Wizard is your only air targeting unit, I'm sorry; you're screwed. He synergizes best with Zap; one blast of Ice Shards, and Zap will take them out.

How to use it offensively

I mean, I'm not sure why you'd use him primarily for offense but he does work well on offense.

Left alone, he can deal at least 300 damage to the tower. On offense he'd best synergize with the Hog Rider. He slows down the tower while the Hog tanks and does damage. And then after the opponent kills the Hog, they still have to deal with the Wizard. In a way, it's better than Ice Golem against units that AREN'T skeletons, as the Wizard will most likely take out those units too.

Where it's seen

Beatdown Decks: Most common deck archetype, and most common where Ice Wizard appears. He's most commonly seen in Giant pushes, although Hog has also been another popular option. Pretty much place him behind a tank, and he acts as the ultimate support unit.

I recommend the above archetype for using the Ice Wizard

Control Decks: He does have a hand in control decks. He can counter Minions, Minion Horde, Skarmy, and other units for a positive elixir trade. However, note that his damage alone won't suffice. Use other units to help him clean up.

Siege Decks: Okay, I barely see him in this archetype. I've never played Siege successfully and I don't use RG(I'LL NEVER TURN TO THE DARK SIDE). But he's a good compliment to RG so for all those people who have no skill and use RG, there you go. I don't recommend the Ice Wizard being put in this deck.

The Ice Wizard is one of the hardest counters to Elite Barbarians. RN, there's absolutely NO diversity in this meta, and it's nothing but Elite Barbs. But with the Log and Ice Wizard, you can counter Elite Barbs with the help of the Arena Tower for a positive Elixir trade, although Meta Minion and Ice Wizard is the best option.

Be sure to defend him against those troops.

Conclusion

The Ice Wizard slows down troops with low damage but has a decent health pool. He's shifted out of the meta and even fell from the S-List of current cards in the meta, all the way down to B, but I hope he can regain his former glory one day. The Ice Wizard is an awesome card, and although I like using both the Ice Golem and Ice Wizard, I like the latter more. I worked really hard to get him, and I'm glad I did.